Juan Marichal
| Birthdate | 10/20/1938 |
| Death Date | |
| Debut Year | 1960 |
| Year of Induction | 1983 |
| Teams | Dodgers, Giants, Red Sox |
| Position | Pitcher |
Juan Marichal vs. Warren Spahn in the greatest game ever pitched: both went the distance in a 16-inning 1-0 contest on July 2, 1963.
In the collection:
Marichal signs a contract with the first player agent Frank Scott
Marichal signs a contract with the first player agent Frank Scott
Juan Marichal never made more than $135,000 in a season. When he played, athletes often had jobs in the off sesaon. In the collection is a contract Marichal signs with one of the first player agents, Frank Scott. In it the pitcher agrees to play in the golf tournament in Arizona in exchange for, “guaranteed first class transportation from and to his home, plus a minimum of $350 for hotel and other expenses incurred.”
1968 Topps card autographed by Juan Marichal
1968 Topps card autographed by Juan Marichal
An image of a smiling Marichal adorns this Topps offering, and why not? Marichal was in the midst of a run of eight consecutive All Star appearances and nine in ten years. 1968 was one of the Dominican’s finest seasons as he posted a career-best 26 wins to go along with a 2.43 earned run average.
Shag Crawford was the home plate ump during Marichal's incident with Johnny Roseboro; here he writes about it
Shag Crawford was the home plate ump during Marichal's incident with Johnny Roseboro; here he writes about it
Former Giant Juan Marichal’s worst moment in baseball came on August 22, 1965 in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The two teams traded brushback pitches before Marichal led off the San Francisco side of the third inning. After taking strike one, Marichal looked at a low and inside pitch that Dodger catcher Johnny Roseboro allowed to drop. The Dodger backstop then moved behind Marichal to return the ball to Los Angeles pitcher Sandy Koufax. Instead of tossing the ball, Roseboro fired it back and in the process, buzzing Marichal’s ear according to the Giant’s hurler.
Bat in hand, Marichal turned in Roseboro and a melee ensued. By the time it was over, Roseboro had a gash on his head that required 14 stitches to close, courtesy of Marichal’s bat. The ump calling balls and strikes that day was Shag Crawford.
In the collection is this letter from Crawford about the incident. The arbiter writes, “Juan Marichal thought Johnny Roseboro threw too close to his head returning the ball to Koufax. It turned out to be a nasty afternoon. I was at the bottom of the pile and came up with a few bruises.
“These incidents happen often in baseball it’s my job to quell them if you can. It wasn’t a very good night for the game of baseball playing a game with policemen encircling the whole park, and that was the way it finished.”
The letter offers a first-hand glimpse into one of baseball’s worst brawls.
